Clothes-drying machine.



C. W. COLLINS.

CLOTHES DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED nc.22. I914.

w. m 9 .l l n H n 5. E 0 N M R C n0n t. A m U .QW N d H l S e S AC V1 lTU B n 2 f f P mw mw y C MVV \m.\ kmw A W\ @o o o o o IN @6 Q 6 Q 6 Q \o.. o o l O ww I A QN @w NNI. wm YN wm. 6 w my A? M U 1L? pI C. W. COLLINS.

CLOTHES DRYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DECZZ. |914.

CHARLES W. COLLINS, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

CLOTHES-DRYING- MACHINE.

A Patented Cot. 5, 1915.

Application led December 22, 1914.l Serial No. 878,463.

. for drying clothes.-

The object of my improvements is the provision of means whereby clothes may be quickly dried with a relatively small consumption or waste of the heating or drying medium.

The invention conslsts 1n certain novel yfeatures of construction and combinations thereof, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine embodying the present invention. F ig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the containing case shown in section. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section of the conveyer driving and regulating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the containing case. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section through 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The reference numeral 10 designates a substantially U -shaped tank which, as shown, is formed with superposed horizontal members or runways 11 and 12 connected at the rear by a curved passage 13. The `forward extremities of the horizontal inembers 11` and 12 are provided with two-part doors 14 and 15 which are hingedly connected at 141 and 151 to the upper and lower Walls of said runways. As arranged, the

upper door 14 opens outwardly, while thel lower door opens inwardly of the respective runways.

16 represent weights connected to leverarms 161 on the respective hinge pintles and serve to positio n 17 represent endless chain-conveyers passing around grooved pulleys 18 in front/of the tank and about sprocket wheels 19 withl in and at the rear of the same. rflhese conveyer-chains are accommodated in channels 20, see Figs. 4 and 5, provided at opposite sides of said runways.

Mounted upon trunnions 23 of the chain are drums 24 whose .peripheral walls are foyieldingly retain the doors in closed raminated or formed of wire screening. These drums are'each formed with a hinged door 241 clothes into or from the drums. The doors are provided with suitable latches (not shown) for securing them in closed positions.

Secured to one lend of each drum is a sprocket wheel 25 which engages an endless chain-26 which extends into the casing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This chain passes around an idler wheel 27 loosely mounted on the shaft 28 upon which the aforesaid wheels 19 are mounted. The chain 26 at the front of the casing ypasses about guide pulleys 29 and a sprocket wheel 30 which is keyed'to a power-driven shaft 31. The shaft 31 also supports the pulleys 18, but is rotatable independently thereof. The chain .26 preferably passes into and from the casing at or aboutthe meeting edges of the respective door-parts and the latter are accordingly recessed thereat, as indicated by 32 in chains are keyed to the shaft 28 which extends through a side wall101 of the tank. Freely `rotatable on this shaft between a shoulder 33, see. Fig. 3, and a set 'collar 34 is a wheel 35 which may be driven by a power-belt 36 or otherwise. The wheel 35 is formed with an annular groove 37 which constitutes a clutch element with respect to a correspondinglyv shaped ridge 38 on -a wheel 39. Provided in the wheel-hub 391 is a periphto give access to supply or remove lil() eral groove 40 to receive studs, as 41, carried bythe forked arm 42 of a bell-crank lever 43 whose other arm is connectedby a pull-rod 44 with a lever 45' positioned within convenient reach of an operator at the frontvof the machine.

46 is a rod housed within an axial bore 281 of shaft 28 and iscoupled with the wheel 39 by a pin 47 passing through a longitudinal slot 48 of the shaft. The rod 46 is also coupled by a pin 49, passing through a shaft-slot 50, with a controller 51, so that the latter and the wheel 39 'are connected tov 4 upon occasion, are adapted to be engaged by the inclined face 54 of a lug 55 provided upon a ring-plate 56 which is secured inrotary adjusted position by a bolt 57 to va s tationary object such as a journal boX for shaft 28. n

When the wheel 39 is manually moved through the agency of lever 45, into engagement with the wheel 35 the controller 51 is moved therewith to carry the lugs 52- into proximity to the stationary ring-plate 56, and when either of thelugs 52 in their revoluble movements encounter the lug 55 of the stationary plate, the inclined opposing faces of the engaging lugs will serve to push the controller axially outward upon its shaft together with .the wheel 39 to disengage the latter from. the rotating Wheel 35, whereupon the rotation of shaft 28 is interrupted. When the shaft 28 stops rotating, the conveyer-chains become motionless with a cessation in the travel of the drums 24. Intermediate the runways 11 and12 is a compartment 58 containing a radiator or system of pipe coils 59 which are connected by a pipe 60 with a source of steam supply, not shown.

The compartment 58 has at one end an air inlet 61, Fig. 1, and at its other' end an outlet 62 communicating with the interior of runway 1l for the-supply of hot air to the latter. In the wall of the runway 12 is lan opening 63 to a pipe connection 64r` whereby the air is withdrawn through the lzggency of a rotary fan or blower, indicated 66 represent baflie-plates hingedly connected to crank-rods 67 which extend through the tank walls and carry weights 68 which serve to press the free ends of the various bafiie-plates into contact with the drums. The function of these baffle-plates is to cause the current of heated air in its passage through the runways 11 and 12 and the passage 13 to iiow principally through the drums so as to eifectually dry the contained clothes.

The operation is as follows: vWet clothes or other articles to be dried are placed in a `drum when the latter is outside of the tank, as indicated'at the left-hand o-f Fig. 1. After closing the drum door 241., the operator manipulatesthe lever 45 (Fig. 2) to influence the bell-crank lever 43 so as to cause the wheel 39 tobe shifted into engaged pof4 Sition with the power-driven wheel 35. The controller 51,by being operatively connected with the wheel 39, is shifted therewith toward the plate 56. When the wheels 35 and 39 have been thus coupled, the shaft 28 is caused to rotate and effect the movementv of the conveyer 17 in the direction indicated by feathered arrow in Fig. 1; The drums are thus progressively moved so as to carry the drum from outside of the tank into the latter and one of the drumsfrom within the tank to occupy the position of the one previously supplied with clothes.

As the drums pass into and out of the tank runways 12 and 11, the doors 15 and 14 are engaged by the drums and thrust thereby into open positions until the drums y have passed the same, ,whereupon the power of the weights 16 asserts itself to restore the doors into the closed positions in which they are illustrated.

When the sprocket wheels 19 have been vrotated suhciently to propel the conveyer chains 17 to move the drums to successively occupy the positions from which those in advance have been moved, a controller lug 52 has been revolubly engaged with and thrust outwardly by the lug 55. The controller 51 is thus moved Qutwardly and,

'through the medium of the rod connection 46, the Wheel 39 is similarly affected to disengage the same from the driving wheel 38, whereupon the rotation of the sprocket wheels 19 is stopped and the forward travel I of the drums ceases.

When a drum is carried outside of the tank, the dried contents thereof Vare replaced by some wet` goods, and the operator again starts the conveyer drivingv devices to be come operative through the agency of the lever 45.

Having described my invention, .what I y means tosupply heated air to said runway,

and means to effect the flow of said air through the runway, of ra rotary drum, a

conveyer for carrying said drum into and' from said runway, means fo-r rotating the drum, and means toaifect the conveyer to impart intermittent progressive movements to the drum.

3. In a machine of the class described, a tank provided with two runways one above the other and connected at the rear end of the tank, a heating chamber communicating withone of said runways,'means for draw-l ing air from the other runway, a plurality of drums, means to propel the drums through said runways, and means for rotating the drums within the tank.

4. In a machine of the class described, a tank, a plurality of drums, conveyer means including endless chains for carrying the drums in a plurality of intermittent movements into and out of the tank, means to rotate the drums only when they are traveling and at rest within the tank, and means to supply a current of heated air to flow through the tank.

5. In a machine of the class described, a heating tank, a rotary drum, means to'con- Vey the drum in a series of intermittent progressive movements into and out of said tank, and means to rotate the drum both when it is traveling and at rest in the tank.

6. In a machine of the class described7 a tank provided with a runway, means to heat the interior of the runway, a conveyer chain, a drum carried by said chain, a driving Wheel i for the chain, power-driven means for imparting rotary motion to said driving wheel to propel the drum through the agency of said chain, coupling means for operatively connecting said power-driven means with the wheel, and means actuated by the rotation of said wheel whereby the coupling means are rendered inoperative after the drum has ,traveled a certain distance.

7. In a machine of the class described, a tank, means to heat the tank, a drum, a conveyer for carrying said drum into and out of said tank, and means for regulating the movement of said conveyer whereby the progressive movement of the drum is interrupted both Within and outside of the tank.

8. In a machine of the class described, a tank, means to heat the tank, a drum, a conveyer for carrying said drum into and out of said tank, means for regulating the movement of said conveyer whereby the progressive movements of the drum are interrupted both within and outside of the tank, and means for rotating the drum when the same is within the tank.

9. In a machine of the class described, a drying tank having openings at one end, a conveyer extending into the tank, a plurality of drums rotatably connected to said conveyer, and doors openable through the agency of said drums whereby the latter are free to pass into `or out of the tank through the openings thereof, and means to close the doors after the passage thereby of the successive drums.

l0. In a machine of the class described, a heating tank, a plurality'of rotatable drums, means to propel said drums into and out of the tank, means for automatically interrupting the travel of said drums when they have traveled a definite distance, and manually controlled means whereby said propelling means are caused to become operative to again propel the drums.

Signed at Seattle, Wash., this 16th day of December, 1914.

CHARLES W. COLLINS.

Witnesses PIERRE BARNES, E. PETERSON. 

